Saturday, December 18, 2010

Today is December 18th, which means that in exactly six months, the wedding will be here! Wow, that seems like a really short time.

Here are some wedding planning updates:

--The wedding gown: Dev's gown is in, it fits her perfectly, and she has already had her first alterations appointment (they only had to do the bustling of the train). We'll be picking it up in early February.

--Save the Dates went out today! Devyn designed her own, and I love what she did.

--We have a fairly good idea of what the bridesmaid dresses will look like and hope to have them by early January.

--The engagement photos are scheduled to be taken tomorrow afternoon (weather permitting).

--The church, caterer, reception site, disc jockey and photographer are all booked for the big day.

I'm happy to report that we're still finding this whole process fun. Last night we were laughing so hard about something to do with the wedding that Devyn and I were both crying. I hope it stays this relaxed and joyful the entire time!

We've hit a few other milestones recently, too. Devyn had her 'last' Thanksgiving as a single girl last month. Greg graduated from UCF yesterday. They've opened their first engagement and wedding gifts together.

Some of these things could make us a little sad and sentimental if we chose. However, we are choosing not to look at these holidays as Devyn's last ones with us; we're choosing to remember that we're blessed to be ADDING someone to our family, not subtracting.

And since it is highly unlikely that I will update again before Christmas, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and blessed new year! 2011 is going to be a big year for us--come along on the journey!

Monday, December 13, 2010

One of the great parts of planning a wedding is the whole celebratory process. Because both the bride's and groom's families are spread out geographically, we have tried to be thoughtful in planning parties. We know that many people won't be able to attend the wedding or some of the attendant parties. But we are so grateful that most people will be with us at some point or another!

This past weekend we threw Devyn and Greg an engagement party, and we were blessed to have with us many of Greg's family members from Maine. They only live in Florida during the winter, so most of them won't attend the wedding.

This was a highly anticipated party! We spent a few weeks getting the house ready, planning center pieces and decorations. We had decided to use the same caterers who are handling the wedding, and so in a way this was a test party! They certainly passed with flying colors.

My sister was able to join us for the weekend, and we were so happy to have her be part of the celebration, too!

I think my favorite part of the evening was the glow of happiness around both Devyn and Greg. As a mom, it is wonderful to experience your child's contentment and to feel the rightness of this decision.

A high point of the party was a special gift presentation. Devyn has one grandparent living, my father in law. He and his wife wanted to send a very meaningful present to Dev and Greg. They couldn't be with us, so they Skyped in as we uncovered the beautiful antique rocking chair. This chair belonged to Sarah Peacock Kandle, Devyn's great-great grandmother. What a wonderful legacy.

Hard to believe that in just a few days more than six months, we'll be celebrating the big day. Meanwhile, we're enjoying all the happy times along the way.